Business leaders react to DISD superintendent pick

Dallas-area executives say they like what they’ve heard about Mike Miles, the Dallas Independent School District Board of Trustees’ pick for school superintendent, especially his military background, reputation as a reformer and history of innovation.

The board named Miles as the sole finalist for the district’s superintendent position on Monday. Once the appointment is finalized, Miles, who now leads a school district with 11,000 students in Colorado Springs, will lead a district that has 157,000 students in Dallas and ranks as the region’s fourth-largest employer. (See List, Page 9) The West Point graduate and former Army Ranger is scheduled to begin work July 2, pending contract negotiations.

In interviews, business leaders expressed cautious optimism about the pick. Improving the quality of K-12 public education in the region, particularly at DISD, has been a top priority for the business community, which is looking for workforce- and college-ready graduates to fuel growth.

James C. Oberwetter, president and CEO of the Dallas Regional Chamber, called Miles’ appointment “a significant step forward for Dallas ISD.”

Education is a top priority in the regional chamber’s five-year strategic plan. The group is working to improve Dallas ISD’s graduation rate and looks forward to working with Miles on improvements that will make Dallas a better place to work and live, Oberwetter said.

“We could not be more pleased than to have an individual selected with a very successful track record in student achievement, in attracting and retaining quality human capital, and who knows how to enhance operational efficiencies,” Oberwetter said.

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings, a former Pizza Hut CEO, said it’s important for the business community and the entire city to unite in support of Miles and DISD. As mayor and while campaigning, Rawlings has pushed for reform of DISD, which he says must improve for the city and region to prosper.

Miles “has shown time and time again throughout his career as a Ranger and a diplomat and school administrator that he knows how to lead and create change,” Rawlings said.

The mayor said he hopes DISD under Miles’ leadership will continue to empower principals and ensure that great teachers are in the classrooms. Rawlings said it’s important for the school board to coalesce around Miles and give him a clear vision of where it wants the district to go.

Arturo Sanchez III, director of education and workforce development for Dallas-based Texas Instruments, found promise in the fact that the Dallas school board’s decision was almost unanimous. Miles was approved by an 8-0 vote, with board member Carla Ranger abstaining.

“I’m excited that there’s unanimous support, and I’m looking forward to learning more about him,” Sanchez said. “I think it’s a very positive sign that the board can be that united in their decision.”

Jennifer Sampson, CEO and president of United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, said she likes Miles’ military background.

“I’m very excited to have somebody new in the role who’s willing to shake things up,” Sampson said. “I’m excited about his vision of education and what it can do for the future of North Texas.”

Sampson downplayed concerns that Miles may have difficulty with the transition from the smaller Colorado Springs district to one of the nation’s largest urban school districts. “I have a lot of confidence in those who brought him here,” Sampson said.

Miles’ main focus should be making sure that students graduate from high school ready for college or a good job in the workforce, Sampson said.

At a news conference in Dallas after he was named sole finalist, Miles said preparing graduates for careers or college has been a strong focus at Harrison School District 2 in Colorado Springs — a district he called “one of the most innovative” in America.

“We have transformed that district from one that was low achieving to one that is progressing well,” Miles said. “The achievement is higher; the graduation rate is up. We have built an adaptive organization — one that is getting ahead of the changes and making sure our kids are college- and career-ready.”

Miles said principals have been key to reforms he put in place in Colorado Springs. He said the district has one of the most rigorous evaluation systems in the nation for both teachers and principals and heavily ties their pay to student achievement.

Miles mentioned “Commit!,” an education coalition pushed by the Dallas Regional Chamber, Dallas ISD and Rawlings, as one of the reasons he was interested in the Dallas position.

“That interest in moving public education forward was a huge selling point for me,” he said.

Jonathan Feinstein, the director of community engagement at Commit!, said the group looks forward to working with Miles.

“Commit! wants to focus on the entire cradle-to-career continuum,” Feinstein said. “We’d obviously love for (Miles) to be looking at the big picture and looking at what the real outcomes are that matter for students coming out of the district.”

Based on Miles’ tenure in Colorado Springs, the superintendent seems to emphasize what he calls “21st-century curriculum,” which stresses math and science skills, critical thinking and information literacy, Feinstein said. Those are areas that Commit! emphasizes as well to produce graduates with the skills to match employers’ needs, Feinstein said.

Colorado Springs developer and education reform proponent Steve Schuck called Miles a change agent who will continually push for improvement.

“If you want to tinker around the edges, Mike is not your guy,” Schuck wrote in a testimonial submitted to DISD. “If you have an appetite for true reform, not just standard rhetoric, then he is your guy.”